Instant analysis of the Chargers selecting safety Derwin James No. 17

The Chargers didn’t need to re-sign free safety Tre Boston after all, after hitting an absolute home run with their first-round selection in former Florida State safety Derwin James at No. 17 overall.

The former Seminoles product has good size at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds but really showed out at the collegiate level in being able to cover wide receivers all the way to tight ends in a pinch. James is explosive as he demonstrated at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine by posting a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, 40-inch vertical and 132-inch broad jump, respectively.

However, James is also plenty strong to be able to finish tackles as evidenced by the 21 repetitions that he put up at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. With James, defensive back Desmond King and cornerback Casey Hayward all at the third level of their defense, defensive coordinator should be able to be as creative as he wants with his schemes in 2018.

And that’s a great thing for an already extremely talented unit that now features three Pro Bowl caliber players in their secondary with the addition of James.